The Cost
Perhaps you’re like me. When you buy something, you bristle when you discover, in the so-called fine print, that there’s a catch; an extra charge that wasn’t mentioned before, a clause that means the deal is not as great as you first thought. Sadly, sometimes that happens when people present the gospel: the benefits are outlined, but the challenges and difficulties are not mentioned. But that’s not how Jesus wants the call to follow Him to be shared. It’s not how He called His first disciples. He made it clear: they were to make Him first priority, first love in their lives, even ‘hating’ their own families by comparison.
‘Anyone who comes to me must hate his father and mother. He must hate his wife and children. He must hate his brothers and sisters. And he must hate even his own life. Unless he does, he can’t be my disciple’ (Luke 14:26).
But here’s an example of how dangerous and foolish it is to quote scripture unthinkingly or out of context. Obviously, Jesus is not calling us to hate our families. The family is God’s idea, and the way we demonstrate our love for God is in our love for others. Scripture also makes it clear that if anyone says they love God, and hate their brother, then they lie. So what is Jesus saying here? He is using hyperbole to make an arresting statement, overstating His case to make a vital point. There are times when, sadly, following Christ will mean familial fracture. Under certain circumstances, we might have to forsake the love and respect of family members, and we might have to lose our very lives, in order to follow Christ. When we share the good news, let’s be willing to warn people that, to become a follower of Jesus, we need to lay everything down before Him, and so, if difficult times of pressure for Christians come, we might lose everything, including our lives. That was the case for the early disciples, and it is a harsh reality for many of our brothers and sisters around the world even now. Let’s make the fine print bolder, and be clear, not only about the blessings of following Christ, but the challenges too.